Car-coupling.



N0. 645,l23. Patented Mama, 1900.

E. F. PENUEXTYER.

CAR COUPLING.

A lication filed Ma 2, ess.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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STATES PATENT FFIG oAa coueLme.

srnoxrxoairxoit formag art of Letters Patent No. 645,123, dated Mach 1s, ieoo.

Application filed May 2, 1899. Serial No. 715,347. (No model.)

To aZZ whom' it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. PENDEX- TER, of Milford, county of Worcester, and

State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Oar-Couplings, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

' automatically interlock when the cars come together. In the patent referred to the drawheads have a rotary movement about their longitudinal axes when acting to automatically engage each other, and in my present invention the draw-heads not only have a rotary movement about their longitudinal axes, but in addition thereto a swinging movement in a horizontal plane, said rotary movement of the draw-head being permitted at all times or substantially atall times during the swinging movement thereof. A strap is attached to the draw-bar, which loosely embraces the followers, and said followers are so constructed as to permit the draw-bar to swing laterally and also rotate about its axis, and means are provided on one of the followers which limits both the swinging and rotary movement of said draw-bar. The striking-face of the hook of each draw-head has on it a boss, made substantially conical, with its apex at or near the middle of the striking-face, but at one side of the axis of the draw-head. The recess behind the hook is formed with a depression which is adapted to receive the boss on the striking-face of the cooperating drawhead. -The draw-bar has formedon its under side a flat-surfacedseat which rests upon a correspondingly fiat-surfaced seat on the frame, and as the draw-bar is rotated it is rocked on its seat, yet caused to resume its normal position thereon by gravity. The draw-head is provided with a guard which em= braces the hook of the cooperating draw-head; but in this instance said guard is adapted to assist in rotating the draw-head and is con structed so as to strike the lower end of the cooperating hook when the hook of said drawhead acts upon the upper end of said cooperatinghook. Aflange is formed or provided at purpose.

Figure 1 shows in plan view an automatic car-coupling device embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same, the parts being uncoupled; Fig. 3, a front elevation of one of the draw-heads, showing in dotted lines the relative position of the other draw-head when brought into position to engage it; Fig. l, asimilar front elevation of one of the draw-heads rotated on its axis and moved laterally; Fig. 5, a vertical section of one of the draw-heads, taken on the dotted line on to; Fig. 6, a plan View of the coupling device, the draw-heads being in locking engagement and moved laterally; Figs. 7 and 8, details showing the flat-surfaced seat on the draw-bar and frame in Fig. 7, the drawbar being in its normal position and in Fig. 7

8 being rocked; Fig. 9, a detail showing one of the followers; Fig. 10, a detail to be referred to.

The coupling devices of the two cars are precisely alike, and the corresponding parts will be indicated by the same letters, those of one car being distinguished by the accentmark 7 G I. ,7

The draw-bar Ct a has a draw-head b b at one end, and attached to the opposite end is a loop-1ike strap 0 c. The loop-like strap a o is made more or less elongated and large enough to embrace the followers 01 ct, which are separated by springs c e. The strap '0 c embraces said followers loosely in order that the draw-bar may be free to swing laterally in a horizontal plane. That portion of the followers which is embraced by the strap is curved on a radius to the axis of the draw-bar, as represented in Fig. 9, so that the draw-bar is free to rotate aboutits longitudinal axis.

011 the rear side of the rearmost follower two lugs 20 to project rearwardly, between which the strap c is placed, and said lugs serve to limit the lateral and also the rotary movement of the draw-bar. The draw-bar a a is made cylindrical, and it has formed on it a triangular projection or boss having, essentially, two flat or straight sides or faces at right angles to each other, (see Figs. 7 and 8,) one of which sides or faces is located at the under side of the draw-bar and serves as and constitutes a flat seat ff. The triangular projection is disposed at one side of a vertical line passing through the center of the draw-bar, and when thus disposed the curvature of the cylindrical drawbar forms a continuation of the flat seat ff at one side or end thereof, while the opposite side or end of said seat terminates abruptly, and by thus disposing the triangular projection relative to the cylindrical draw-bar it will be seen that said draw-bar can be freely rocked in one direction, but will be restrained from rocking in the opposite direction.

The frame suppporting the draw-bar a a has a flat-surfaced seat g g, upon which the seat ff normally rests, and as the draw-bar swings back and forth the seat ff is free to slide upon or move along on said seat 9 g and is also free to rock on said seat 9 g" in one direction. The triangular projection is located at the same side of a vertical line passing through the center of the draw-bar that the guard of the draw-head is located, and the hook of said draw-head is located at the opposite side of said vertical line, and as a result the normal tendency is for the drawhead to rest with its seat f f bearing flat upon the seat 9 g, and when rocked, as represented in Fig. 8, it will afterward immediately resume its normal position by gravity.

The draw-head b I) has a hook h h, with a striking-face formed or provided with a boss it, (see Figs. 3, 4, and 5,) which is made substantially conical, the apex of the boss being near the middle of said striking-face,

' but at one side of the axis of the draw-bar.

The inclined sidejj of the boss is the principal acting or engaging portion thereof, this inclination being relative to the horizontal plane of the draw-bar. The hook h h has its end alsoinclined relative to the vertical plane of the draw-bar, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When the two draw-heads come together, the two bosses t 1." will strike and will guide and direct the hook 72 it into the recesses formed or provided on the draw-heads back of the hooks. When the two draw-heads come together, the upper ends of the hooks, which are made wider than the lower ends, will strike, and each will operate to rotate the other draw-head and also to move the other draw-head more or less laterally. On the back side of the recess behind the hook a depression y 'y is formed, (see Fig. 5,) which is of suitable size and shape to receive the boss 6 t" on the striking-face of the hook. A

guard 7a is provided, which embraces the' hook of the other draw-head, and said guard 70 70' projects forward to a point substantially flush with the striking-face of the hook 7th and is formed and proportioned so that when the two draw-heads come together and the upper ends of the hooks h h strike each other the lower ends of the guards 70 7t will at the same time or thereabout strike the lower ends of said-hooks, and thereby assist in rotating the draw-heads. In Fig. 3 one of the draw-heads is shown in full lines, the other being represented by dotted lines, and it will be observed that the upper ends of the hooks are in engagement and the lower ends of the guards are in engagement with the lower ends of the hooks.

In order that the heads may turn when their tops are in engagement with each other and their lower ends in engagement with the guards, the said guards are formed with,

their inner side walls inclined to the vertical plane of the draw-bar, as represented at v 'v' in Fig. 3. hind the hook a flange m m is or may be formed or provided, (see Fig. 5 and dotted lines,Fig. 4,) although in many instances such flange will not be required. This flange mm bears against the vertically-inclined end of the hook of the other draw-head just aboveits lower end when the hooks are in looking engagement and prevents the draw-heads from separating automatically in a vertical direction, and said flanges bearin g as theydo upon the ends of the hooks near their lower ends will assist in rotating the draw-heads when either one of said draw-heads is positively rotated by hand, as shown in Fig. 10. I

A rock-shaft n n is pro vided,wl1ich is adapted to be operated by a hand-crank, and said rock-shaft is connected loosely with the drawhead bya link 0 0, and by turning said shaft n the draw-head will be rotated to disengage the hooks.

-Ido not desire to limit myinvention to the employment of all the features herein shown and described; but with the exception of the flange m m I prefer to employ all of said features.

I claim-- 1. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swinging draw-bar capable of rotary movement about its axis having a draw-head provided with a hook to engage the hook of the cooperating draw-head, and having a triangular projection on its under side at one side of a vertical line passing through the center of the draw-bar formed with a flat face to present a seat f, f, whereby said draw-bar is free to rock in one direction only, and aframe having a seat g, g on which the seatfif rests and upon which the draw-bar is free to slide and rock, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swinging draw-bar capable of rotary movement about its axis having a draw-head pro= vid'ed with a hook to engage the hook of the Near the bottom of the recess be cooperating draw-head and having atriangular projection at one side of avertical line passing through the center of the draw-bar which is formed with a flat seat f, f, one side of which terminates abruptly and the opposite side of which terminates at the curved surface of the cylindrical draw-bar, and a frame having a seat g, g on which the seat f, f rests and upon which the draw-bar is free to slide and rock, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swinging draw-bar capable of a rotary movement about its axis having a draw-head pro vided witha hook at one side and a guard at the opposite side of the center, and having a projection on its under side which is disposed at the same side of a vertical line passing through the center of the draw-bar as the guard is disposed and having a seat f, f, said projection permitting the draw-bar to be freely rocked in one direction and restrained from rocking in the opposite direction, and a frame having a seat g, g on which the seatfif rests and upon which the draw-bar is free to slide and rock, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic car-coupling device, a

swinging draw-head capable of rotary movement about its axis having a hook h, h made wider at the upper end than at the lower end, and having its'striking-face inclined as at j with relation to the axis of the draw-head, and also having a guard it, It terminating substantially flush with the striking-face of the hook and having its inner side wall inclined to the vertical plane of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

5. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swinging draw-head capable of a rotary movement about its axis having a hook and alooplike strap attached to the rear end of the draw-bar, combined with followers embraced by said strap having curved bearing portions for said strap, substantially as described.

6. In an automatic car-coupling device, a a

swinging draw-head capable of rotary movement about its axis having a hook, and a looplike strap attached to the rear end of the draw-bar, combined with followers embraced by said strap having curved portions both above and below ori a radius to the axis of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

7. In an automatic car-coupling device, a draw-head capable of rotary movement about its axis having a hook, and a loop-like strap attached to said draw-bar, combined with followers loosely embraced by saidstrap having curved portions permitting rotary movement of the draw-head, substantially as described.

8. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swinging draw-head capable of arotary movement about its axis having a hook made wider at its upper end than at its lower end, and provided on its striking-face with a substantially-conical boss; the apex of which is at one side of therlongitudinal center of the draw-head, substantially as described.

9. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swingingdraw-head capable of a rotary movement about its axis, having a hook provided on its striking-face with aboss made substantially conical and having formed in the recess back of said hook a depression to receive the boss on the striking-face of the cooperating draw-head, substantially as described.

10. In an automatic car-coupling device, a swinging draw-head capable of a rotary move ment about its axis having a hook made wider at the top than at the bottom which engages the top of the hook of the cooperating drawhead, and having a guard terminating substantially flush with the striking-face of the EDWARD F. PENDEXTER.

Witnesses:

CLIFFORD A. 000K, 0. F. BUTTERWORTH. 

